Daily Meditations

Read today’s Just for Today or A Spiritual Principle A Day readings.

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Just for Today

November 05, 2026

God’s guidance

Page 323

"Our Higher power is accessible to us at all times. We receive guidance when we ask for knowledge of God’s will for us."

Basic Text, p. 95

It’s not always easy to make the right decision. This is especially true for addicts learning to live by spiritual principles for the first time. In addiction, we developed self-destructive, anti-social impulses. When conflict arose, we took our cues from those negative impulses. Our disease didn’t prepare us to make sound decisions.

Today, to find the direction we need, we ask our Higher Power. We stop; we pray; and, quietly, we listen within for guidance. We’ve come to believe that we can rely on a Power greater than ourselves. That Power is accessible to us whenever we need it. All we need do is pray for knowledge of our God’s will for us and the power to carry it out.

Each time we do this, each time we find direction amidst our confusion, our faith grows. The more we rely on our Higher Power, the easier it becomes to ask for direction: We’ve found the Power we were lacking in our addiction, a Power that available to us at all times. To find the direction we need to live fully and grow spiritually, all we have to do is maintain contact with the God of our understanding.

Just for Today: My Higher Power is a source of spiritual guidance within me that I can always draw upon. When I lack direction today, I will ask for knowledge of my Higher Power’s will.

A Spiritual Principle a Day

November 06, 2026

Honest Self-Reflection

Page 321

"Honesty begins with not lying, but that's not where it ends."

Guiding Principles, Tradition Ten, Opening Reflection

With any luck, we're challenged to practice a bit of "cash-register honesty" early in our recovery. When a cashier gives us too much change, it's tempting to quietly pocket it, but we do the right thing instead. We hand the money back rather than lying by default. Damn, that feels good. We get an "attaboy" from the clerk and have some righteous experience to share at the next meeting. We revel in the positive attention, and, even better, we feel proud of ourselves.

This is a great start to practicing honesty, but it doesn't end there. The Steps offer some important guidance for us as we sift through our past and examine our present state of mind and behavior. Personal inventories--long-form as well as the frequent spot checks--help us develop a habit of honest self-evaluation. We take stock of our assets and liabilities, refining our lists in consultation with a sponsor and Higher Power. Knowing--really knowing--ourselves is a crucial element of recovery.

Our relationships--with ourselves, with others, and with our lives--are enriched by our willingness to be honest. When we're in a good groove with honesty, we tend to surrender a little more and have fewer amends to make. Clarity about our character, our motivations, and our emotional lives means we're less defensive and more introspective. It turns out that having access to our feelings makes it easier to connect with others. We build deep and lasting relationships with others who are also emotionally available.

When we understand ourselves and our lives, it's easier to respond to the world around us in a way that's consistent with our values. For some of us, conscious living means that we find our voice and become advocates for causes that are important to us. We can hold strong opinions on difficult issues and still take care not to complicate the NA message. Clarity comes from honestly reflecting on our experience and sharing how living by spiritual principles keeps us grounded and growing. Our experience offers a vision of hope.

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Being myself is my best asset in carrying the message. I will take time for some honest self-reflection today.